La Liga

High on the pitch, but constantly caught up with by economics. The 5-2 demolition of Betis restored an assurance the two goalless opening matchdays had dented, and the club followed it with a window closed on eleven arrivals. Carlos Álvarez's move to Club América, announced on 2 September, nonetheless removes from the dressing room the scorer of the 96th-minute promotion goal in May 2025. Keeping Karl Etta Eyong, who turned down every offer received from Spain, England and Germany, partly makes up for that loss. Sunday's trip to La Rosaleda, against the bottom club, looks like a chance not to be missed.

Healthy between the dressing room, Luís Castro and a board that puts its cards on the table. Héctor Rodas set out the constraint publicly: €5m of financial fair play headroom when the window opened, the practical impossibility of registering a player, and therefore the obligation to sell before buying. The sporting director nonetheless said he was satisfied with the work done and praised his department's ingenuity. Keeping Etta Eyong, against the club's immediate financial interest since it would have preferred to bank a fee, shows that the player had the final say without it turning sour. The sale of Carlos Álvarez to Mexico, outside the Spanish window, follows the same logic of survival, openly explained to the press.

The Ciutat de València is coming off a 5-2 against Betis that reconciled the crowd with their team, but the summer has been costly emotionally: after Carlos Espí, who left for Real Madrid, it is Carlos Álvarez who is going to Club América. The club made a point of recalling his 105 matches, 14 goals, 14 assists and above all that 96th-minute goal which sealed promotion. The consolation is Karl Etta Eyong, who stayed despite the call of their Valencia neighbours and offers from abroad. Ticket sales for hosting FC Barcelona on 13 September have opened with a pre-sale for season-ticket holders and new hospitality packages, and it looks set to be the season's first big gate. For now the public accepts the “sell to exist” model, as long as the team wins.

Very low. Luís Castro is starting his second season in charge, has earned credit with the demolition of Betis and his board publicly owns the constraints on the squad. September's schedule offers him a legible run: Málaga away, then Barça and Athletic at home, before Villarreal. No source consulted raises any question about his position. His margin for error nonetheless depends on the squad's ability to absorb the successive departures of its best attacking players, Espí and then Álvarez within three months.

Survival, never denied, and a financial stability the board now places on a par with the table. Héctor Rodas explicitly tied the sales made to the club's viability and to the possibility of future projects. Eleven arrivals were registered, essentially loans and young profiles, including forward Petar Ratkov and Axel Tape on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. On the pitch, the immediate objective is to take advantage of a September schedule that opens with the bottom club before two big home games. Developing academy players remains the stated third pillar.

No internal tension reported. The only friction point is external and concerns their neighbours: Levante hinted that it would have suited them to sell Karl Etta Eyong and that Valencia had made enquiries without ever calling back. Héctor Rodas's line, “people ask me for information and then they do not call me back”, was widely picked up in the Valencia press. The matter closed with the player's decision to stay. Internally, the openly stated line of selling to survive has provoked no public protest from the dressing room.